Welcome to Unitarian Universalist Society East
Sunday Services at 9:00 and 11:00
Oct 21, 2026
Council of Elders
Inaugural Meeting (Reboot)
Wednesday, October 21, 1:00 PM in the UUSE Sanctuary
A message from Rev. Josh
At our September 13th Homecoming service, I mentioned that I would like to reconvene the UUSE Council of Elders. The Council of Elders came into existence in the late 2000s. Its purpose was twofold: 1) to explore how best to provide excellent ministry to elders; and 2) to explore how elders can use their wisdom and life-experience to strengthen the congregation. Our premise in founding the Council of Elders was that we live in a larger United States culture that doesn’t value elders. That is still true twenty years later. We wanted to become counter-cultural, to engage with elders not as a problem to be solved, but as a vital and essential part of the community.
One of my goals for the 2026-2027 congregational year is to reconvene the Council of Elders. Full disclosure: I have also offered to write a paper for my clergy study group on how congregations can provide excellent ministry to and with elders. I am convening an inaugural meeting of the Council of Elders on Wednesday afternoon, October 21, in the sanctuary of UUSE.
Are you an elder? Should you attend this meeting? Of course, what constitutes elderhood is an open debate. I note that, among Unitarian Universalist clergy, some of my colleagues consider me an elder at almost 60 years old. For the time-being, I am defining elder the way we did 20 years ago. Anyone who is 70 years or older qualifies as an elder, along with anyone younger who would like to participate (back in the 2000s we had people in the 60s and even some in their late 50s who participated).
When we gather, I’ll ask you to respond to some general questions: What's working well in terms of ministry to elders? What could work better? And there’s a deeper, perhaps more existential question: "What does it mean to you to be an elder?" "What are the feelings associated with being an elder in United States culture and at UUSE?"
If you are planning to attend the inaugural meeting, please let us know at the UUSE office at (860) 646-5151 or uuseoffice@uuse.org.
#OctoberNewsletter
Inaugural Meeting (Reboot)
Wednesday, October 21, 1:00 PM in the UUSE Sanctuary
A message from Rev. Josh
At our September 13th Homecoming service, I mentioned that I would like to reconvene the UUSE Council of Elders. The Council of Elders came into existence in the late 2000s. Its purpose was twofold: 1) to explore how best to provide excellent ministry to elders; and 2) to explore how elders can use their wisdom and life-experience to strengthen the congregation. Our premise in founding the Council of Elders was that we live in a larger United States culture that doesn’t value elders. That is still true twenty years later. We wanted to become counter-cultural, to engage with elders not as a problem to be solved, but as a vital and essential part of the community.
One of my goals for the 2026-2027 congregational year is to reconvene the Council of Elders. Full disclosure: I have also offered to write a paper for my clergy study group on how congregations can provide excellent ministry to and with elders. I am convening an inaugural meeting of the Council of Elders on Wednesday afternoon, October 21, in the sanctuary of UUSE.
Are you an elder? Should you attend this meeting? Of course, what constitutes elderhood is an open debate. I note that, among Unitarian Universalist clergy, some of my colleagues consider me an elder at almost 60 years old. For the time-being, I am defining elder the way we did 20 years ago. Anyone who is 70 years or older qualifies as an elder, along with anyone younger who would like to participate (back in the 2000s we had people in the 60s and even some in their late 50s who participated).
When we gather, I’ll ask you to respond to some general questions: What's working well in terms of ministry to elders? What could work better? And there’s a deeper, perhaps more existential question: "What does it mean to you to be an elder?" "What are the feelings associated with being an elder in United States culture and at UUSE?"
If you are planning to attend the inaugural meeting, please let us know at the UUSE office at (860) 646-5151 or uuseoffice@uuse.org.